:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48734633/usa-today-7963130.0.jpg)
The Texas Longhorns baseball team has been picked to finish third in the Big 12, according to a preseason coaches poll.
However, the top three teams have just four points separating them, with all three earning the exact same number of first-place votes, so the perception is clearly that the Longhorns will contend for a conference title with TCU and Oklahoma. Lat season, Texas got hot during the Big 12 championship and won all four games to claim the postseason title in Tulsa and earn a big to the NCAA tournament.
The full poll is as follows:
2016 BIG 12 COACHES PRESEASON POLL
1. TCU (3) 57
2. Oklahoma State (3) 55
3. Texas (3) 53
4. Oklahoma 45
5. Texas Tech 38
6. West Virginia 26
7. Kansas 18
8. Kansas State 28
9. Baylor 14
It should be a competitive season in the Big 12 -- the regular season has seen a different champion each of the last five yeas, with Texas the last to repeat a championship back in 2010 and 2011.
Texas will host fan appreciation day and the alumni game Feb. 6, with opening day set for Friday, Feb. 19 against UNLV.